Study Hints at More Drunk Driving Among Young Women

The rate of alcohol-related fatal car crashes has risen among some populations of female drivers, a worrying trend that runs counter to the decline in such crashes among young men.

ScienceDaily reported Feb. 18 that an analysis of U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data found that the rate of fatal car crashes where drivers had alcohol in their system fell among all age groups of men studied up to age 20 (16 to 20) and remained the same among 21- to 24-year-olds.

However, while the rate fell among 16-year-old girls and remained the same among 17- and 18-year-old females, it rose among 19-year-olds and 21- to 14-year-olds.

Researchers also found that the proportion of female drivers involved in fatal alcohol-involved crashes was higher than for males.

The study appears in the journal Injury Prevention.